Seeking personal intervention by union railway minister CP Joshi, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Tuesday urged him to immediately start a Shatabdi train on the Bathinda-Delhi route via Jakhal and Rohtak to facilitate the people of the Malwa belt.

In a letter to Joshi, the chief minister said the commissioning of the Guru Gobind Singh Oil Refinery, Bathinda, had recently emerged as a petro-chemical hub in north India and establishment of the prestigious central university and a hotel management institute in Bathinda had further necessitated the sanctioning of the train.

He said the people of the region, especially the residents of Bathinda, had been demanding the train for long and they had been continuously impressing upon him to take up the matter with the ministry.

The chief minister informed Joshi that as the people from other states, especially the army and air force personnel, frequently visited Bathinda, it would enable them a hassle-free journey.

Badal said as several people from the area had to go to Delhi to board international flights, the train was all the more important for them. He said it would usher in an era of economic development and prosperity in the region.